I Give You His Heart
by Moira Colleen
Summary: For the rotg kink prompt: "Winter isn't always fun. Sometimes, it can be dangerous. When Jack hears about Pitch killing off the Pookas, his darkside kicks in. On Valentines Day, he gives Bunny Pitch's heart."
1. Chapter 1

"What a pleasant surprise, Jack," Pitch sneered. "Imagine, the great Jack Frost, hero of the Guardians, coming to visit his humbled foe. To what do I owe the honor?"

Jack landed lightly on the hollow globe at the heart of Pitch's realm. He was smiling, but something about the grin seemed off. Too broad, somehow. Under his feet the dark metal took on a glossy sheen as ice crept down from the arctic regions. "Well, it's Valentine's Day, isn't it?"

Pitch snorted with laughter. "I'm touched, Jack," he said. "I never imagined you felt that way about me."

Jack hopped down off the globe and began pacing slowly toward Pitch. "Oh, I feel a lot of things for you, Pitch," he said, still grinning. "All the Guardians have feelings for you, and you know? The more I get to know them, the more I feel for you, too."

They were almost nose to chest. Jack's face tilted upward to meet the taller spirit's gaze. His eyes were wide and dark with excitement and an anticipation that sent a sliver of anxiety into Pitch's heart. Despite himself, Pitch took a step back. Jack followed, his eyes locked to Pitch's.

"What a pity you didn't realize it sooner," Pitch said, inwardly cursing his lapse in composure. He slipped a hand behind his back and covertly summoned his scythe. "We could have had such fun together. Maybe we still can."

Without warning, the scythe swung around in a deadly arc toward Jack's head, while Nightmares poured from the galleries to surround the pair. Jack dodged easily, taking to the air. A frigid whirlwind howled through the chamber, battering the Nightmares against the walls and isolating Pitch and Jack at the center. Jack's staff glowed a brilliant blue. Hovering out of reach, he aimed the shepherd's crook at his foe and sent a blast of bone-chilling cold that shattered the dark scythe and flung Pitch to the ground. In quick succession, Jack froze Pitch's mouth shut and his arms and legs to the ice-coated cavern floor. A final sweep of his staff surrounded the Guardian and his enemy with a hollow sphere of ice that shone as brightly as its maker's weapon, banishing all shadows.

Jack landed and sat cross-legged beside Pitch. "You know who feels the most for you?" He said, almost companionably. "Bunny. We've been spending a lot of time together, Bunny and I. We're kind of what you might call an item, which is where you come in. See, I've been wracking my brain all year to come up with something to give him for Valentine's Day, but what do you give a giant alien rabbit? Guy's really only interested in eggs, and he's got a full set of those. Seriously, huge collection. Tooth told me I should give him my heart, but he's already got that.

"Then Groundhog Day rolled around. You know how the 'Roo just loves the Groundhog. Their little pissing contest turned into a drinking contest, and it turns out that Bunny gets real talkative when he's drunk. He told me all kinds of things when I was pouring him into bed that night."

Jack moved to straddle Pitch's hips. He looked down into the Nightmare King's wide eyes and, if possible, his smile broadened. "Now, I know what you're thinking: this is Jack Frost. Guardian of Fun. Mr. snowballs and fun times. He's gotta be all talk, right. Well, I'll let you in on a secret, Pitch: winter isn't always fun. I'm only here because of how dangerous winter can be. Ice hides a lot of ugly things, you know? It looks really pretty when it's frosted on glass, but you know what happens when it forms inside living tissue?"

Jack pulled Pitch's robe open. He raised his staff slowly, watching Pitch's eyes track the movement. Delicately, he rested one end in the hollow of Pitch's throat and traced a straight line down to his navel. A blackened welt rose in its wake, and a muffled scream rang out.

"You murdered them," Jack said softly. Pitch's chest heaved. His eyes rolled desperately in his head. "You killed Bunny's whole family. You didn't even have the decency to do it quick." A long, slender icicle formed on the end of Jack's staff. The point sparkled, wickedly sharp. Pitch's struggles redoubled and he began to whimper, but Jack remained unmoved. Just as slowly as before, Jack lowered the thin makeshift blade to the beginning of the black stripe and pressed down. The ice bit deep, again and again, each time driving a scream from its victim's throat. Even the Nightmare King's breastbone proved no barrier to the unnatural ice.

"So, anyway, once I found out what you did, I knew exactly what to give Bunny for Valentine's Day."

Jack stood up. He snapped the icicle off the end of his staff and replaced it with a broader, flat blade which he inserted into the perforation of Pitch's sternum. He leaned his weight on the staff, using it as a pry bar. Pitch shrieked as the left side of his chest tore messily open. Jack formed one more blade of ice, this one with a keen edge. He knelt and rummaged through the opening until he found what he wanted, pulled it out, and efficiently cut it free. Pitch gave one final gasp, then went limp in his bonds.

"It's only fair," Jack told the motionless body. "You tore out Bunny's heart. It's only fair he should have yours. Heh, if he really likes it, maybe we'll make it a tradition. Can't kill fear, right? Not forever. But, just for today, Bunny will have a little peace from you."

Jack lifted the dripping heart. In his cupped hands a shadow-box in the shape of a Valentine's heart formed, encasing the bloody organ in sparkling ice. He infused the box with winter magic so that it would never melt, even in the depths of summer. Now smiling more naturally, Jack blasted a hole through the shield that kept the Nightmares at bay. Ignoring their enraged screams, he flew through the egress to the surface and headed for the nearest tunnel to the Warren.


	2. Chapter 2

**I said I wasn't going to do this. Apparently, I was lying.**

* * *

Bright laughter echoed from one of the tunnels to North America. Bunny turned in time to see Jack sweep through the entrance on the wind, graceful as a bird. He came to a halt in front of Bunny, hovering long enough to brush a kiss over the other's furry lips before landing lightly on the grass of the Warren. He gripped his staff with one hand. The other he kept concealed behind his back.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Jack," Bunny greeted. He proffered a large, oblong box covered in deep red velvet and bound with a satin ribbon. He laughed at how eagerly Jack accepted it. In so many ways, Jack was still a child at heart, and what kid didn't love sweets?

"Just can't get away from the egg-shaped thing, can you?" Jack teased.

"Oi! There is no more perfect shape in the universe than the egg. It's the cradle of life for a reason."

"Whatever you say, Cottontail," Jack agreed indulgently. "Hey, I got something for you, too. I know you can't have chocolate, but I think this is even better anyway."

Jack brought his hand out of hiding and proudly presented Bunny with a heart-shaped box of frosted ice about twelve inches across. It didn't seem designed to open, but the front of the box was perfectly transparent. Bunny peered inside and froze, eyes wide.

"Jack," he said slowly, "mate, you're gonna have to help me out here. What, exactly, is this?"

"It's a shadow box," Jack explained. "I made it so it wouldn't melt, ever. I didn't know if you'd want to put it on the wall or on a table or what, so I didn't design it with any hooks or anything, but I can add them. Just let me know what you want."

"Right, right… but what is it I'll be displaying?"

"Well, it's a heart," Jack said, as if it were obvious. "That's what people really give each other on Valentine's Day, isn't it? I just took it a bit more literally."

Bunny gaped at him. It took a lot to kill a spirit, he knew. Given time, they could regenerate almost any organ, but that was no reason to… "Jack, are you saying this is _your_ heart?"

Jack laughed. "Of course not! You've already got my heart. No, this is Pitch's heart."

"Pitch?" Bunny breathed in horror. He sat down hard and stared at the frozen heart in his hands.

Jack knelt beside him. "I know you probably don't remember, but a couple of weeks ago you got drunk and told me what happened with Pitch and your family. I wanted to make sure you knew nothing like that will ever happen with us."

"Jack," Bunny gasped, "that's not what I w—"

Not what you wanted? A treacherous voice whispered in his mind. Liar. You've wanted something just like this for a very long time, and you know it. You've wanted it ever since the day Pitch attacked. That was the whole point of shutting down your emotions for all those millennia, wasn't it? Because it was driving you crazy, to want this so badly and know you'd never have it.

"We can't kill him, but he can't kill me, either," Jack said, gently stroking Bunny's ear. "I can remind you every year, if you want."

"That—that won't be necessary," Bunny replied. He looked up to meet Jack's earnest, autumn-sky blue eyes, and the corners of his mouth tugged upward, just a little. "But I do love it, Jack. Thank you."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bunny." Jack wrapped his arms around Bunny and squeezed tight.

"You too, Frostbite. Ah, what do you say we keep this between ourselves, though?"


End file.
